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IN THIS ISSUE
- Principal’s Message: Chalk Mural, Student Achievements, Parent Survey, Report Cards, March Events, PTA Board Openings, 4th Grade Election Selection, Managing Stress
- SCEF Virtual Gala, Silent Auction, Raffle Tickets
- PTA Board Openings and Nominees
- Multicultural Family Night RSVP + Volunteer Sign-up
- Register for Stampede & Soar
- Yearbook Ordering
- Plus District and Community News
IMPORTANT DATES
Now-Wed 3/15: Eagle Council Samaritan House food drive
Mon 3/13-Fri 3/17: Ability Awareness Week
Mon 4/10-Fri 4/14: Spring Break
Wed 4/19: PTA meeting via Zoom, 7 p.m.
Thank you to everyone who was able to join us for our California Distinguished School celebration on Monday! In addition to our assembly, students participated in a chalk mural project (pictured) to commemorate our award. Our Eagle Council students generated a list of words that came to mind when they think of Arroyo, and I couldn’t be more proud of the words they came up with: Determination, Friendship, Support, Community, Leadership, Learning, and Pride. These words were written on purple chalkboard panels, and all students had an opportunity to add drawings, symbols, or words. Thanks to Trinity Murphy, Kristi Martinez, and the other parent volunteers who made this project possible.
This past week also saw some fantastic student accomplishments! Our 5th graders who placed in the district STEM Fair went on to compete in the San Mateo County Science Fair. Arroyo students won 1st place for two projects! Congratulations to Bendely, Atticus, Mirabelle, and Natalie, as well as to Justin who took 2nd place and Katherine who earned an honorable mention. Meanwhile, more than 50 4th graders demonstrated passion, ownership, and perseverance as they completed and presented their ROPEs projects to judges. Serving as a ROPEs judge is one of my favorite activities every year. I’m always so inspired by our students’ hard work, perseverance, passion, and creativity, and this year was no exception!
While we’re proud of our accomplishments as a school, we also know there is always room to grow! I truly appreciate the 50+ families who have completed the parent survey sent out last week. If you haven’t gotten to it yet, there’s still time! The anonymous survey should take less than 10 minutes to complete, and your input is incredibly valuable in helping us serve our students and families in the best ways possible.
We have a lot to look forward to in the coming weeks, including the Trimester 2 report cards being emailed home by midweek. As in Trimester 1, you will receive two emails, one with a link and one with a unique password to access your child’s report card. Please take the time to download your child’s report card when you receive the message, as the link expires after a few weeks.
As a reminder, the content of the 4th/5th report card is intended to promote student ownership over their learning. In keeping with that goal, we hope you will have a conversation with your child about their progress and their goals for the final trimester. I also want to remind you that the 4-point rubric (beginning, developing, approaching, mastery) is on the back page of the report card. Learning is a process, and skills students learn are not isolated, but build on one another throughout the year. The report card should be a fluid document that reflects students’ consistent movement toward mastery of skills and concepts by the end of the year.
As you and your child review the report card, it is important to keep things short and supportive. If you feel that your child should or could be doing better, talk to them about it and encourage them to take ownership by talking to their teacher themselves, asking for help, and developing a plan. If you feel your child is doing exceptionally well, be specific with your praise, but also ask them where they might push themselves to move to the next level. This is a great opportunity to build a healthy relationship around academic and social emotional development.
In addition to report cards, we have a number of special events and celebrations this month. You’ll find additional details below about many of these activities.
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Ability Awareness Week, March 13-17, aims to promote understanding, acceptance, and appreciation of individual learning and ability differences through fun, experiential activities. This week gives students a chance to experience that everyone learns differently and that it is okay to be different. Teachers have access to a variety of lessons to help students develop greater empathy and understanding. Thanks to SEDAC, we will also have an assembly to learn more about Down syndrome.
- March is also a great time to celebrate literacy as we launch our annual March Madness Book Bracket. This year our theme is “Around the World.” Classes will read books from different countries and will vote for their favorites as we narrow down our bracket to a final winning book.
- Eagle Council is conducting another community service drive for Samaritan House. We will be collecting healthy snacks like nuts, granola, protein bars, healthy snack crackers, trail mix, dried fruit, etc. Please consider sending food for those in need in our community. Students may bring food to the office or their classrooms by Wednesday, March 15.
While all of this is going on, we are also deep into the planning stages for next year. PTA is recruiting volunteers for important roles next year. Please see below and consider getting involved in supporting our community. Our 4th grade families started the elective selection process for next year. If you missed instrument selection night and your child is interested in participating in band or orchestra next year, please reach out to our music directors (Sarah Green and Colyn Fischer) for more information.
Despite all of the great things happening, we also know that March can be a challenging month for many people. Students, staff, and families can all feel overwhelmed and experience higher levels of stress and/or anxiety than usual. Using our empathy skills (listening without judgment) with one another can be extremely helpful, as everyone wants to be heard and understood. Allowing for downtime can help us recharge. If you are concerned about your child's stress level, please reach out to us so we can offer support at school.
Warmly,
Mindy Shelton
Principal
[email protected]
SCEF’s Salute to Educators:
40th Anniversary Celebration
Sunday, March 19 • 6-7 p.m., preshow 5:30
A night of celebration and appreciation honoring our teachers, principals, and staff!
Join master of ceremonies Chad Carvey, the Principal Auctioneer, for SCEF’s 40th anniversary online celebration with Virtual Live Auction, Fund A Need, Last Auction Hero, and Online Auction.
It will be dynamic, entertaining, online, and on time ... and your whole family is invited: kids, grandparents, and friends encouraged. No babysitters needed. No fancy outfits required. And open to ALL — unlimited tickets available!
Tickets are $25 per household. (Or, if you are new to the San Carlos School District, we have added a special $4 ticket for new families.) Tickets and TOWN cocktails will be delivered to your door.
Silent Auction Highlights: Open NOW through March 21
Log in to browse and bid on:
- Taylor Swift tickets
- BottleRock tickets
- Lake Wildwood vacation home: 5-night stay (sleeps 10)
- Harley Farms goat dairy tour: goat, cheese, and wine tour for 10
- SF Giants: exclusive Gotham Club passes and lower box seats for 4
- An estate plan from San Carlos estate planning law firm Falk, Barrot & Associates LLP
- Holistic health and Life coaching
- Hayloft dinner at Harley Farms: 2 tickets
- Black Panther poster autographed by Chadwick Boseman and Stan Lee
On Sale Now: Starlight Gala Raffle Tickets
For the cost of a raffle ticket (1 for $125; 3 for $325 or 6 for $600) you could win one of our fabulous Live or Silent Auction packages. This year raffle prizes include dinner for four at French Laundry, Taylor Swift tickets, BottleRock tickets, a downtown parking space, dinner for four at Chez Panisse, Mexico vacation, and Harley Farms hayloft dinner for two or private tour and wine tasting for 10 adults during kidding season. To see the full list of eligible prizes or order tickets, visit scefkids.org/starlight-raffle.
PTA Board Positions Open:
We Need You!
The Central-Arroyo PTA’s Executive Board positions will be voted on at our April PTA meeting. You can get involved in many ways in addition to Exec Board roles — a few minutes per week, month or year!
Please contact Maria Shih to learn more. Find out about all our volunteer roles on the PTA Job Descriptions document. Here is the slate so far:
Multicultural Family Night:
RSVP + Volunteer Sign-up
Wednesday, March 29 • 6-8 p.m. • Mustang Hall
Eagle families, we are excited to announce Arroyo’s first Multicultural Family Night on March 29! We will celebrate with amazing food, games, arts and crafts, fashion, and performances from around the world. Expect a fun Bollywood performance, a Polynesian dance lesson, fantastic food trucks, and more.
Eagle Council will be holding a fundraiser for those affected by the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. Cultural dress is encouraged! Please RSVP to attend.
To make it a memorable night, we need your help! Please sign up to bring a dish or volunteer if you can. Opportunities include:
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Providing a favorite cultural appetizer or dessert (store-bought or homemade)
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Hosting a craft station with a cultural craft of your choice or helping students make flags. Central students are welcome to volunteer at a craft table!
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Playing a musical instrument from another country and allowing attendees to try it
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Sharing a cultural outfit for a fashion display (If you have a dress form we can borrow, please let us know!)
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Emceeing the evening!
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Being a DJ for a karaoke booth
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Teaching mahjong, lotería, or another cultural game
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Creating a cozy book nook with the help of our librarian
Stampede & Soar: *Really* Last Chance to Guarantee a T-shirt
Run is Sunday, April 2 • 9-11 a.m.
We’ve extended the deadline ever so slightly to midnight tonight, March 12. Register your student TODAY to guarantee a T-shirt for this fun event! All runners should register ($5 each), including students, parents, and siblings. (Kids 6 and older must be accompanied by a parent. For safety reasons, no children under 6 are allowed on the course.)
No registration is required to participate in the post-run activities or to cheer on the runners! Remember: There are a range of volunteer opportunities, so take a look and sign up if you can help.
Thank you to SCEF for helping to keep our registration cost low and making the PTA’s community-building events possible.
Share Photos to the Yearbook + Order Your Child’s Copy
Be part of creating a memorable Arroyo yearbook for our kids by sharing your photos! Upload images of your child or shots you have taken during school events into TreeRing’s shared photo folders (First Glow Party, Day of School, Art in Action, ROPES/STEAM projects, Spirit Days, Student Clubs, Field Trips, classroom photos, etc.). Follow these instructions to share.
Order and personalize your child’s yearbook for $17.26 (plus tax) through April 12. Arroyo is using San Mateo-based company TreeRing, which allows you to add two free pages that you can personalize. Get started by creating your free account! If you already have a TreeRing account, buy via this link (Arroyo code is 1014628525232886.).
Ability Awareness Week: March 13-17
Throughout the San Carlos School District, at all levels, we will be celebrating Ability Awareness Week. Our shared mission this week will be to help one another promote understanding and appreciation of differences in our students, including neurodivergent individuals and those with ability differences.
All students will have a chance to engage in a set of common experiences through activities already taking place on campus to spark discussion, increase understanding, and celebrate our differences.
SEDAC (Special Education District Advisory Council) strives to educate our students and community about ways to honor and include the unique strengths and many differences each member contributes. SEDAC takes a leading role in helping us all take an assets-based, strength-first approach when considering any individual person, before compassionately including and accommodating our differences and limitations.
Camp Galileo at Arundel: June 19-Aug. 4
Looking for an exceptional, affordable camp option? Camp Galileo is returning to Arundel Elementary this summer. At Camp Galileo, K-10th graders enjoy creative STEAM-inspired projects and get active outside. Camp runs Monday through Friday, June 19-Aug. 4.
There is a special LIMITED TIME DISCOUNT for San Carlos Camp Galileo only! Use code SANCARLOSLL23 for $50 each week of camp! Valid through March 26.
Inspired by popular demand, this summer we’re offering:
- 6 unique weeks of camp for K-4th graders
- 4 unique weeks for 5th-8th graders, so they have a summer full of experiences
Easy payments: Use our Pay Over Time option to split your $1,200 camp purchase over three monthly payments with 0% interest for low-stress budgeting. Enrollment for our scholarship program is now open.
Register now to avoid the waitlist. Spots are filling up fast!
Parent Education Opportunities
Kids don’t come with instruction manuals. Join Deborah Farmer Kris, parenting expert and education journalist, for Growing All the Time: Four Insights From Child Development That Made Me a Better Parent (March 15, online).
As part of our series with the San Mateo County Office of Education, we’re honored to host cyberbullying expert Sameer Hinduja, PhD, for Cyberbullying and Social Media: The Role of Parents, Youth, and Community (March 16, online).
MANY WAYS TO VOLUNTEER AT ARROYO
SHARE YOUR STUDENT’S ACHIEVEMENTS
We want to honor students who are doing great things outside of school and have two ways parents can help.
SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE
As part of our Arroyo School program, we offer assistance to families as needed. The support can be a yearbook, grocery gift cards, or scholarships for school trips and PTA events. The recipients are kept confidential, and the principal is the only one who will know. Please complete this form to make a request.
REWARDS PROGRAM
Participate in our eScrip rewards program and a percentage of your purchases will automatically be donated to the Central Arroyo PTA — at no cost to you!
FOLLOW @ARROYOSCHOOL
Follow us on Facebook for up-to-date info on events and issues.
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